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Iron Cross
The Order of the Iron Cross, or more commonly referred to as the Iron Cross, is a military organisation under the direct employ of the Church of the Omniscients. They are primarily based in the Iron Cross Citadel in Fortis Lucem, and take in able-bodied volunteers to defend the Order with religious fervor. They act, de jure, as a neutral peacekeeping organisation to defend against otherworldly forces and uprisings, as consistent with their original mandate to quell a large Cabal uprising. The Order is renowned for the training and administration of Paladins, elite warrior knights with an ancient pedigree in holy magic and armed combat. Often, the Order deploys them for high-level diplomatic missions, or as emissaries or bodyguards to heads of state and other ambassadors. History Founded in 339 AO by Holmstead the Bright, the Order is one of the oldest surviving organisations in Vanaheim. Between 332 to 339 AO, scholarly records found that a large scale Cabal uprising took place among practitioners of the art, seeking to unveil void magic among the populace to gain political traction. In some instances, heads of state and feudal lords may employ the services of rogue Cabalists to intimidate or oppress the local populace of warring states. In response to this, a Papal Decree of Seizure and Strike from the Church of the Omniscience was passed down in 339 AO to Holmstead the Bright, a Lollandian Knight trained in the arts of holy magic and a fervent devotee to the Church, to engage in open warfare against the Cabal. This led to the founding of the Order, which employed able-bodied men and women trained in the holy arts to battle and drive back the Cabalist forces in an event later known as the First Pallade. Organisation The proceedings of the Order are governed by the Paladin's Code, and the Order spans several Priories which it has full jurisdiction over: namely Fortis Lucem, the Ferrous Plains, and Fortis Ferrum. The organisation is lead by a Paladin General, the supreme head of the Order and the individual in charge of the Order's daily management, its key allegiance to the Church of the Omniscience, and its military strategy. The Paladin General is advised by two main bodies: the Advisory Council, which oversees the various Divisions of the Order and consists of former Paladin Majors, Paladin Captains and other senior advisors of the Church Division and Citadel Division; and the Patrons of the Order, external benefactors and stakeholders, which include the Church of the Omniscience. The three separate divisions of the Order oversee different roles. The Citadel Division consists of clerics in training and other administrative staff who maintain the daily functioning of the Citadel and Fortis Lucem as its chief governing body; the Church Division, which oversees relationships with the church and community outreach, and the Military Regiment which oversees military forces, regional diplomacy and training of its forces. Regularly, Priests of the Church will take on roles in the Church Division, or oversee the Treasury of the Citadel Division. List of Paladin Generals Military Regiment Organisation The head of the Military Regiment is the Paladin General of the Order, who is assisted by two Paladin Majors: one to oversee the Garrison, one to oversee the remaining ground troops in the other 3 Battalions. The Garrison are the primary defence forces in the Order's different Priories and peacekeeping territories, and serve as vigilant guards that operate at all times. One of the two Paladin Majors in the Order oversees the division of manpower and distribution of forces in the region from the Order's headquarters. The Garrison primarily consists of junior enlistees, led by a Paladin Captain in each of the Priories. The Crossbow Battalion trains individuals in ranged combat, and form the backline of the Order's military force in any armed confrontation. Over the years, their role has evolved beyond actual crossbow use, and their armaments include artillery, explosive crossbow munitions and grenades. The Heavy Infantry Battalion is both the cavalry and frontline defensive unit of the Regiment, and is rarely activated unless armed conflict of a large enough scale break out. They serve as reinforcements if the Garrisons are overrun, or if peacekeeper forces in the region are insufficient to hold off a full-scale armed attack in their territories or Priories. The Vanguard Battalion is the division entrusted to frontline assault, and is commonly used for small incursions into hostile territory to preemptively neutralise a threat to the order or its surrounding region. It holds the strongest military might in the Order. In certain instances, such as the Seventh Pallade in 1,190 AO, the Vanguard Battalion may be used to aggressively expand the Order's influence in the region, or serve the diplomatic interests of its Patrons, as with the Imperial Hathaway Military. More often than not, this duty is entrusted to the Special Forces Team, which specialises in tactical incursions, allowing the Order to make military offensives outside of their jurisdiction. Enlistees Enlistees to the Order typically train as low ranking Initiates for approximately a year in martial arts, holy magic, and basic military strategies. They are then filtered into their Battalions to complete specialised training for an additional year, before serving as Squires for Paladins in the service. With the exception of the Garrison, Enlistees that are not Paladins do not typically see active service, but play backline or support roles for their superiors. Paladins Longer-serving or otherwise physically superior Enlistees may be nominated by their superiors, typically a Paladin Captain, for the Order's initiation. Following a period of intense physical and military training, the Enlistees undergo the initiation process, involving various tests of combat ability, and culminating in a brutal free-for-all armed duel. While the Order does have safeguards to prevent unnecessary deaths in the initiation process such as standby Clerics for medical support, the estimated death toll in the initiation process alone is about 1 in 24 candidates. A successful initiation allows the Enlistee to carry the title and privileges of a fully-fledged Paladin, a loyal servant of the Order. Paladins may carry and own their own armaments within the Order and its Priories, and may carry out diplomatic duties on behalf of the Order. Paladin Captains Exemplary candidates during the Initiation will be closely observed by superior officers or the Order's own Advisory Council for leadership traits, superior mastery of combat strategies, or other noteworthy traits that make them deserving of a promotion. As a Paladin Captain's role is highly influential in the order, the entire Advisory Council votes on the viability of a candidate - should the candidate pass a supermajority vote among the Advisory Council without any objection from the Patrons of the Order, the candidate is sworn in a commissioned officer - a Paladin Captain. Paladin Captains typically operate with more autonomy than a typical Paladin, and may appoint two fellow Paladins as his Lieutenants - while commissioned, they are not formally recognised as "officers" for the Order's ceremonial or military functions, and merely serve as the Captain's platoon leaders or administrative assistants. List of Known Paladin Officers 1,190 AD Category:Factions Category:Organisations Category:Fortis Lucem Category:Iron Cross